New Era
by Janika
Summary: Faced with the growing prospect of annihilation, XANA has changed tactics. Due to it, Odd does something he shouldn’t be able to do and one of the students at Kadic is acting very strange. 6th episode
1. Anticipate

**_Post-production note: yes, things are different from the TV series, but that's b/c I hadn't seen anything past season 1 by the time I was writing this. Actually, when I started this particular episode, there had just been a teaser that showed some scenes from season 2 and that's where I got the idea of XANA possessing people for the first time._**

**6-1: Anticipate**

**I was actually curious to see what might happen in the second season and this turned out to be the result of my little Season 2 Dream-a-Thon. Since it'll be out soon, I think a lot more will be revealed that will refute my ideas.  
****Janika (Sissy's cousin) and the gang have just gone through a troubling time and are just getting back into the swing of things. But X.A.N.A. is dangerous in his unpredictability. One thing leads to another and now he has released a deadly weapon on Kadic… **

(((-1-)))

X.A.N.A. surveyed his creation. It was flawed all over, but ultimately still powerful. He knew this plan was unlikely to succeed, but the one living within Lyoko was no longer completely bound to it and every day that passed was another step toward a remedy to his implanted virus that kept her linked to the world in which he was trapped.

He was desperate. That was the truth. Another month and it was possible he could be destroyed permanently. This may be his last chance for survival.

The creature would have to do for now. If it demonstrated usefulness he could improve the program later. All it needed was awareness independent from his own, capable of distinct thought patterns. If not for the newest Warrior's computer, he would never have discovered what he needed to make it function properly.

This was dangerous, what he was about to do. The link he would forge from Lyoko to Earth was unlike the one that already existed and could have dire consequences.

But time was against him. The choice was made.

(V)

Janika kicked her feet lazily in the air as she lay stomach-down on her bed, staring vacantly at the book in her hands. She snapped it shut and looked around her room. There was a picture of her with the gang on her nightstand. She began to smile as her eyes fell on the short blonde boy smirking at her from the photo. A moment later she finally made a decision.

She left and walked one floor up, then down the hall. Taking a deep breath, she knocked. Ulrich answered.

"Is Odd there?" she wondered nonchalantly, though also with a trace of shyness.

"Sorry Janika. Odd has to serve detention for hurling spitwads at Sissy this morning." He gave her an apologetic look. "I think he's cleaning up the school grounds. He might be out near the soccer field."

She brightened and thanked him before leaving. The sun was blocked by a bank of clouds and a stiff wind whipped her braid this way and that. Janika spotted her other friends. Aelita was talking with Jeremy and Yumi as she approached.

"Yumi and I were speaking with a girl in class this morning and she said that I might like to go into choir."

Jeremy nodded encouragingly. "Why not? I think you'd be a good singer. Your voice is - er - very nice on Lyoko." There was a hint of pink in his cheeks.

"Hi! Is Odd hiding around here someplace?" Janika called.

Yumi pointed across the street where the boy in question was sullenly collecting trash and putting it in a plastic bag. Excited, she dashed forward to meet him. He had just noticed her waving when his face went blank…

_—The car didn't slow for the stop sign. Instead it made a sharp turn onto the street and roared down the lane, the driver failing to notice Janika as she recklessly sprinted across the road. Odd could only cry out a futile warning as the car collided with her body and— _

She was nearly to the road.

The car was just reaching the intersection.

There was a glass bottle in his hand.

With no time to think about what he was doing, Odd pitched the bottle straight at the car! It broke on the windshield and the ldriver instinctively swerved. It was just enough.

Janika bounced off the side and landed limply in the street. He was beside her in seconds. The driver had stopped and started to curse at Odd when she caught sight of the unconscious girl on the cement. Kids from Kadic were running over.

Yumi and Jeremy were suddenly with him, lending support. Aelita ordered the other kids to keep away while the smart blonde kid felt along his friend's spine as she lay in the ditch, breathing but not moving.

"She might have broken ribs, but I'm not sure because of the awkward position she's in. Nobody touch her. Tamiya, put down that camera and go get Nurse Dorothy."

Minutes later, Jim and Dorothy arrived on the scene. The nurse checked Janika as she was just coming to. Except for some quickly-forming bruises along her leg and side, everything was fine. Jim found out the driver had been in a rush to get to the hospital to see a relative who had (ironically) been struck by a speeding car.

Aelita stayed behind while Odd and Jeremy supported the injured girl between them, heading for the dorms. They called up Ulrich, telling him the news. He was waiting there by the time they got back to Janika's room.

Yumi left the three boys in the empty hallway while she made sure her friend was as comfortable as could be. Jeremy was still offering congratulations.

"If you hadn't thrown that bottle, she'd be roadkill right now!"

The other kept silent as he leaned against the wall, head bowed. Jeremy looked at him closely, not sure what was going on with his friend. Ulrich didn't say anything.

"I saw something weird when she was running toward me," he finally said. "My vision went foggy and then I saw the car hit her before it happened."

Jeremy clutched Odd's shoulder. "Are you saying you saw the future? That's impossible!" His eyes darted quickly down the empty hallway, but saw no one. "You can't use your Anticipation outside Lyoko. None of you can use your Special Abilities."

Ulrich patted his buddy's back. "Whatever it was, it saved Janika's life and you both should be grateful for it."

The boy wearing glasses looked anxious as he started for the exit. "I have to talk to Aelita. See you guys later."

Ulrich assured his friend once again that everything would be fine, and then left Odd alone in the hallway…or so he thought. One door was open a crack as a girl with short fair hair pulled back into a ponytail on the side of her head peered surreptitiously out.

Maïtena held a comic book tightly in her fist as she examined the lonely boy from her vantage point. _Can it be true?_ she wondered. _Is it possible that there could be kids with superpowers here at Kadic? _

A fanciful smile spread across her face. "Odd," she said boldly, coming up to him. "You really reacted fast out there. Some would say you've got great reflexes."

"Yeah, I guess so."

He hardly looked at Maïtena, which maddened her, but she tried not to let it show.

"I think you're special," she spoke quietly. "How did you do it?"

"Do what?" he asked, shooting a guarded look her way.

"See it before it happened. You had a premonition. I know it! Just tell me how you're able to do it, Odd. I promise I won't say anything."

"You're nuts." The blonde boy knocked on Janika's door and entered at Yumi's call, closing the door solidly behind him. Maïtena stood there disgruntled.

**Maïtena is not an OC. As a matter of fact, she is on the show (though I have not seen her) and I decided to give her a pseudo-personality since I didn't know what she was really like.**


	2. To Be Alive

**6-2: To Be Alive**

**Beware! This chappie contains geek-speech, so unless you are prepared for it, _go no farther!_ Thank you, Dictionary-dot-com, for helping me sound like I knew what I was talking about.**

(((-2-)))

Jeremy found Aelita right where he'd left her near the street. He pulled her into a secluded area of the park and explained what Odd had told him. "Is there any possibility that it could really happen?"

"…No. Maybe."

That didn't sound good.

"What's the catch?"

"It's not possible _theoretically_. X.A.N.A. might have come across something recently and affected the link between Lyoko and Earth. Any change to it could perhaps result in the seepage of isolated files connected remotely to materialized programs that have two stationary forms: one in Lyoko and one here. Once he established a secondary nexus, it's possible that any programs with non-artificial capabilities might be affected."

"So you're saying X.A.N.A. toyed around and whatever he did had a side-effect that gave Odd his Anticipation. Do you think we can fix it?"

"Maybe. If we manage to discover what X.A.N.A. influenced, I should be able to repair the damage. It's almost certain he covered his tracks, though. What bothers me more is what he intended to do in the first place that would have caused this. It can't be something simple."

"You've got that right," Jeremy grumbled to himself. "Well, I guess we'd better get started. Let's go back to my room to see what we can do from there."

(V)

Yumi, Odd and a badly bruised Janika huddled together in the cafeteria as they ate, speaking in low whispers, unaware that Maïtena was watching them out of the corner of her eye. She knew they were hiding something huge. Jeremy had said something about abilities, so maybe all of them had powers. All she needed to do was confront them sometime when they couldn't ignore her.

This would be so cool! Just like in the comic books: X-men, the Incredible Hulk, Spider-man, and the Fantastic Four! This was _way_ too good to pass up!

Oh, they were leaving. Maïtena stood and quickly walked toward the exit parallel to them. If she could just trick them into revealing their powers, she would be able to find out how it had happened to them (Radioactive chemicals? A special ray-gun? Maybe even a weird bug whose bite transferred powers!). Then she might be able to do the same thing to herself. That would be _sensational!_

But before she could reach them, something collided into her.

"Watch it!" Sissy snapped sourly as she backed her chair out from the table suddenly.

Maïtena careened into the wall and fell down. She found herself sitting on the floor looking straight at something that had floated out of an unused electrical socket beside her. She had only enough time to widen her azure eyes before the gaseous thing attacked!

(V)

"No Towers have been activated," Jeremy sighed. He leaned back in his chair, staring puzzled at his computer. "Do you think maybe Odd imagined it?"

Aelita discarded the idea immediately. "How would you explain his reaction that saved Janika's life? I have studied the stimulus-response time of humans in the past, and it is entirely insufficient to have recognized the danger and done something about it the way Odd did."

Jeremy nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. "But when he sees the future on Lyoko, he can't change it. How is it he prevented Janika from getting run over when he clearly saw the car crashing into her?"

She shrugged. "These things have a way of warping themselves to align with their environment, Jeremy. On Lyoko everything is programmed in a rigid, logical manner. There is no room for alteration, so whatever he sees there _will_ happen. Here it's a completely different matter."

"Okay, but without any Towers activated, how could X.A.N.A. have affected anything on Earth?"

The pink-haired girl considered it for a moment. "He can't…unless he activated one, accomplished his goal using a self-sustaining program hidden beneath layers of real and pseudo-data, and then relinquished control." She bit her lip uneasily. "Not to mention he most likely would have altered the programming of several Towers to throw us off. If that's the case, then I'll have to review the program grid of each individual Tower on Lyoko until I find the right one."

"How long do you think that might take?"

"A month or more depending on whether I return home for the duration or continue my schooling here on Earth and work there between times. Not to mention the time it would take to fix any programs he affected."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Jeremy said rubbing his temples tiredly. "When do you want to start?"

"As soon as possible. Tonight when I go back, most likely. Since I don't sleep, I can make a start on the first Tower. Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky."

The blonde smiled at her. "I sure hope so. We still have two or three hours until it's time. Let's go find the others and tell them the news."

(V)

The blonde girl opened her eyes. A human was standing over her. The ones she had been ordered to pursue and eliminate were nowhere to be seen, and the little objects dangling from her ears annoyed her.

"Are you alright, Maïtena?" a particularly large one asked.

Maïtena. So that was the name of her host body. It was not hers.

"My name is Roshia," she said tersely to the male.

His amused expression did nothing to lighten her mood. She would not be insulted this way! She felt power boiling just beneath the surface of her skin. Roshia was ready to teach the insolent man a lesson when her Master's voice flared warningly through her mind:

"_Not yet! He is not your goal. His destruction is pointless. The Warriors…"_ And his message faded away to nothing.

Roshia looked back at the man. "Where is…" What was one warrior's name? "Yumi. Where is she?"

"She just left. Put your tray away before you run off."

She stared to the place he was pointing and saw the 'tray'. Roshia sat at the table and wondered what she was supposed to do. Sitting down, she looked blankly at the plate.

Other humans were chatting and putting things on the trays into their mouths. Her first reaction was revulsion. Why were they doing _that?_ But since the large man was still watching, she mimicked them. Hopefully she would fit in.

Twenty minutes later the man named Jim had to drag her out of the cafeteria. She struggled and snatched the vegetables off a student's tray. "Broccoli!" Roshia squealed as she stuffed them into her mouth. The student yelled at her.

"Sorry Maïtena, but those are carrots. Why don't you come with me to see Nurse Dorothy? She might have some nice cookies for you," he added cheerfully.

"Cookies! Where are they?" she wondered, her eyes darting around. He had a firm grip on her arm, but as long as he was taking her to get these 'cookies' she wouldn't mind.

The human called Dorothy realized something was strange right away when the gym teacher practically muscled her in. "Maïtena, is something wrong?"

"Do you have _cookies?_" Roshia blurted out.

"Er…yes. I suppose you can have one." The nurse cast Jim a meaningful glance and opened a package. "Here."

Both adults watched in amazement as the blonde girl scarfed it down and held out her hands for more.

"I need them all! My Master would want it."

"See why I brought her here?"

Dorothy rubbed the back of her neck. "I think we have a case of schizophrenia on our hands, Jim."

**How right she is. For those of you who have read Animorphs, does this behavior sound familiar? It's sort of a tribute to aliens who don't have taste buds.**


	3. Earth

**6-3: Earth**

**I hope you people like this chappie since dantheman helped me fix it up.**

(((-3-)))

Roshia tried to steal the cookies out of Dorothy's hands, but the woman held them out of reach. "I want you to tell me what is going on in your head right now."

The blonde girl felt a twinge of resentment, but if answering this human's question would allow her to eat more cookies, she was willing to try.

"I want cookies. Cookies are in my head right now," she answered simply.

Dorothy sat down so she was eye-level with the girl she thought was Maïtena. "Do you remember what I told you last week when you stopped by?" she asked slowly, as though talking to a toddler.

"I wasn't here last week," she replied distractedly, still eyeing the cookies.

The nurse paused. "Really? Where were you?"

"I wasn't here," she insisted.

Dorothy tried to understand what 'Maïtena' was telling her. "But if you weren't _here_, then you must have been _someplace_. Look at me." She did so. "Do you remember anything at all?"

These questions disturbed Roshia. She didn't know the answer. Closing her eyes, she tried to recall something before the cafeteria and all the wonderful flavors.

"My Master sent me here…but before…I was in—"

"_**Roshia!**"_ The voice snapped the possessed girl out of her trance-like state. Her Master! _"Do what I have commanded, slave."_

Red claws seemed to tear at her from all directions and she felt them rip through her living programming painfully. Her head flew back and she let out a gurgling shriek! It was gone in a moment, but the warning was plain enough.

Shaken and gasping for air, she gaped openly at the humans. Dorothy had been holding her still, but as she made eye contact with Roshia, the woman backed off. The girl staggered to her feet. The humans watched her from the far side of the room silently.

"I must leave."

After she had gone, the two adults looked at each other. "Did you see her eyes?" the nurse whispered almost fearfully.

Jim nodded. "They were glowing."

(V)

There weren't many people outside since the sky was darkening and the wind had picked up. The gang was the only group gathered by the main building. Janika was feeling better. Despite the discolored marks down one whole side of her body, she was out on the grounds with the others.

"So you can see the future, huh? Too bad _I_ don't have my Special Ability," she lamented.

Odd hung upside-down from a tree limb and stuck his tongue out at her condescendingly. With an evil grin, she mussed up his hair and pulled the shirt down over his head.

"Hey! Put my hair back the way it was, you little minx!" he shouted as he swung to the ground. Janika was already running.

Aelita and Jeremie watched them passively from the shade of an oak, but Yumi looked wickedly at Ulrich. "Should I?"

"Might as well," the dark-haired boy said with a wink.

As Janika shot past, the Japanese girl's foot snaked out to snag Odd and sent him crashing to the ground. He looked around and spotted her leaning against Ulrich and laughing.

"You're going to regret that, geisha-girl!" he threatened. "I'm a hero."

Yumi chuckled, unconcerned. "Let me know when you foresee me kicking your butt." She sobered up as someone exited the building and headed toward them, nearly lurching forward as though sick. "I know her. She's in my class."

"Who is she?" Odd wondered as he dusted off. "That girl was bothering me about my vision earlier. I think she overheard Jeremy talking about it outside Janika's room. Good going, Einstein!"

"Oh, great," the computer nerd sighed, rolling his eyes. "Just what we need: someone to interview us. We'll be on the evening news in no time at all."

"Hello Maïtena," Yumi began when she got close enough, but the girl growled like an animal.

"My name is _Roshia!_" Her eyes flashed auburn fire.

The earth beneath their feet rumbled threateningly and the six kids glanced at one another, suddenly edgy, wondering if that had been thunder or something more dangerous.

"I think maybe you should call her 'Roshia', Yumi," Odd advised.

But at the mention of Yumi's name, the girl grew very attentive. "You are Yumi?"

"Well, yeah. We both take Algebr—"

Maïtena/Roshia screeched so loud that the others covered their ears. "You are the ones I've been seeking! My Master has ordered me to hunt down and destroy you all!"

"Wait!" Aelita cried out as she rushed forward, slipping out of Jeremie's grasp. "What is this? What sort of trick is X.A.N.A. using?"

Roshia focused all her attention on the presumptuous pink-haired girl. "Do _not_ address my master in such an arrogant way, human! His name should not be soiled by the likes of you!"

The boy dressed in purple shot a glance at his friends. "It looks like there's a whole religion to go with him now. How'd he get hold of her?"

Roshia glared daggers at him. "I am not the one you see, fool. Though this human is familiar to you, she is no more. My great Master has decreed that I—a mere pawn—assist him in ridding the world of you six children. You are no more than insects to him."

"Oh yeah? Then why hasn't he been able to get rid of us yet?" Yumi demanded.

Instead of answering, Roshia raised her hands angrily as if to wave her away. The earth rumbled again and this time it bulged up, sweeping them off their feet! All of them seemed surprised at this result, including Roshia. She gaped at the destruction and didn't notice the rock until it smacked her and she fell over, nearly senseless.

Ulrich dropped the rest of his missiles as the first shot took care of her and motioned everyone to get into the shelter of the park while she was still dazed. Janika had to be helped since her bruise complained very strongly about the treatment it was receiving.

"We have to get to Lyoko and figure out what to do," Jeremy said as they were heading for the trees. "We can't have her following us, though."

"I'll stay," Odd volunteered.

"Then I'll help too," Janika offered.

"No!" they all said with one voice.

Yumi shook her head. "You can hardly run. I'll stay since she seems to be after me. The rest of you go to the factory. I can take care of this freaky kid, even if she can move earth." She started to turn, but Ulrich caught her arm.

"No, I'll distract her."

Yumi pulled away roughly. "Ulrich, if this really is some weird X.A.N.A.-attack, then it's not going to be easy to fix the problem. Aelita will need all the help she can get. I just have to keep Roshia unconscious until everything on Lyoko is fixed."

She darted back to the open area with the dark-haired teenager staring after her, undecided. "What if she can't handle it? Are you sure we should leave her?"

"We need to go," Jeremy whispered. "That 'Pawn' could hurt someone if we don't hurry."

They made their way to the manhole and slipped into the darkness while menacing clouds overhead began to pour water down onto the earth below. But no sooner had thunder cracked than Ulrich whipped his head around.

"That was Yumi screaming!"

Odd grabbed his arm and yanked him back. "You're the best fighter on Lyoko. If there's major trouble there, I'm not that much of an advantage for us. Just go. I can take care of this." He had to push his friend toward the skateboards. "Yumi will be fine with me. I promise, Ulrich."

Before the others could say anything, their friend was up the ladder and back on the school's grounds. They looked at each other once and then turned away, hoping they were doing the right thing leaving two of their comrades behind to deal with a homicidal maniac with elemental powers.

**What would you do if a classmate came after you w/ a chainsaw and was screaming about doing their master's will?**


	4. Roshia's Rage

**6-4: Roshia's Rage**

**In celebration of my first (and most likely last) tattoo (of a unicorn, if you want to know), I would like to dedicate this (boring) chappie to everyone that reviewed the last one! UlrichAndYumi4Ever, dantheman7777, East Coast Ryder, Kayrana, Black Cherry Soda, Lobo-Chan, (Rose), and foxmoonshadow: this one belongs to y'all!**

(((-4-)))

Jeremy, Ulrich and Aelita were just reaching the factory when the pink-haired girl nonchalantly wondered, "Where did Janika go?"

The two boys skidded to a stop and looked at each other in horror. Ulrich pointed at his friend. "Didn't you help her down the ladder?"

"I thought Odd did."

"She couldn't have climbed back up the ladder all by herself. She was too weak. How did she get left behind?"

(V)

Janika dove into the brush while Yumi was arguing with Ulrich. They _needed_ her to help out here. There was no possible way she was going to get left out of this one if she couldn't go to Lyoko, and she seriously doubted that Jeremy would let her. She had a better chance fighting here.

She saw her Japanese friend run out into the rain where Roshia was just sitting up. The blonde girl made a jerking motion with her hand and suddenly Yumi was pitched into a tree just a few feet from the spectator like a sack of rice! She thudded against it and dropped to the ground in a heap. X.A.N.A.'s puppet grinned murderously and strode purposefully over to her. As she stood above Yumi, Roshia clenched her hands and the earth replied with a rumble.

In a flash Janika slammed into her friend's attacker, shrieking like a lunatic! They rolled in the mud, but the blonde girl came out on top with her hands locked around the other's throat. The fingers tightened and cut off her breath, but before Janika's eyes had even started to glaze over, a fist clouted the Pawn over her head and the earth buckled as though it had felt the blow.

The dark-haired girl looked up at Odd and coughed as Roshia slid back. She forced herself to meet his eyes. "I had to stay."

He knelt down beside her. "Are you all right?" She didn't answer. "At least go inside where it's safer."

"Did _everyone_ stay behind!" Yumi demanded as she leaned against the tree. "What are you two _doing_ here! You guys get to the factory right now! That girl is dangerous."

She looked like a mess and was worried about _them?_

"Yumi, you'd be dead right now if it wasn't for me!" Janika yelled while trying to shield her face from the rain as it grew heavier.

"And _you'd_ be dead right now if it wasn't for _me!_" the blonde boy chastised. "Let's just—"

"Get out of the way!" Yumi screamed as she dove into her friends, knocking them down. They sprawled in the mud as a plate of solid earth behind them crashed right where they had been standing a moment before.

Roshia walked slowly toward them, eyes glowing russet in the semi-darkness. She seemed oblivious to everything, even the blood running down the side of her head. Her hands clenched as the earth pulsed along with her movements.

The three teenagers shot a single glance at each other before leaping to their feet and fleeing. Unfortunately, the ground was so soggy from the pouring rain that it made traction difficult and the only thing they succeeded in doing was getting a nice mudbath.

"We need some way to defend ourselves!" Odd called over the thunderclaps. "There might be something in the gym we can use. Are you guys up to it?"

Both girls were limping from the beatings they had received.

"That Roshia isn't going to give us a chance to recover if she has anything to—aaaaaahhh!"

The taller girl was flung to the ground and tendrils of mud began to wrap around her body, holding her down. Odd stopped and turned back to help, but she shouted,

"Go! We can't fight her without a weapon, Odd!"

Reluctantly, he turned his back on her, but the mud around his feet began to writhe and reach for him. Panicking, he slung Janika into his arms and ran toward the gym for all he was worth!

They barely made it before the branches of earth snatched after them. Once inside, Odd put his friend down and ran to the closet where all the equipment was stored. The best thing he could find was a javelin, but as he picked it up, the brunette girl behind him became uneasy.

"Those rocky cords should have been here by now. What is Roshia doing?"

Wobbling to her feet, Janika made her way to the door. She tried to push it open, but it seemed to be stuck. Odd tried to help, but something was keeping them trapped inside.

(V)

Yumi was nearly covered with mud that was strong as iron. She could hardly wriggle, much less flee. And where was Roshia?

No sooner had she thought the question than lightning flared and the devilish witch stood before her.

"Thought you could escape, did you? Well, no one escapes from me. Not for long. Your friends think they're safe in that building there, don't they?"

The black-haired girl managed to tilt her head far enough to catch sight of the gym through the monsoon. But even as she watched, vine-like stems of earth crept up the sides, blocking the front doors and the side-exits.

Yumi managed to break free of her prison as Roshia's concentration focused on the building. She forced herself to her feet and ran at the dungeon, screaming at the top of her lungs for her friends to get out.

Mounds of earth suddenly pushed up, breaking the sidewalk and barring her way. She tried to dash around it, but the soil just ahead of her shot skyward, dagger-like rocks blocking her again. Yumi skidded to a stop as the boulders branched out in either direction, hemming her in tightly. She had nowhere left to run.

Brushing rain-slicked hair out of her eyes, Yumi thought to herself, _I sure hope the others are having an easier time on Lyoko. _And hesitantly, she turned to face the living nightmare behind her.

**No, my tattoo did not hurt (nose suddenly grows longer). Gack! I've gotta get that fixed.**


	5. Roachster

**6-5: Roachster**

**The idea of black monsters was actually influenced by Diamond-Halo (and her marshmallows!) so this chappie is dedicated to her even though she seems to have ceased reading my stories. Come back, DH!**

(((-5-)))

"It's too late for us to go back for Janika now," Ulrich insisted as they paused in the sewers. "She stayed behind on purpose. We have to get to Lyoko now and figure out what's going on."

"I guess you're right," the blonde kid muttered darkly. "I just hate leaving her behind like this."

They made their way to the main computer room and Jeremy turned to his console, running through a mess of grids and programs.

"There are absolutely _zero_ Towers activated right now. What exactly did X.A.N.A. do?"

"Run a scan of each individual Region for anomalies," Aelita suggested behind him.

He typed in a command and the scan began to run from one end of Lyoko to the other. After a minute or so, the screen abruptly started to flash warnings at him.

"What the—?" Jeremy leaned forward intently. "There's something near a Tower in the Desert Region. Let me just localize its position…"

A hologram appeared showing the Tower and an anonymous monster.

Aelita clasped Jeremy's shoulder. "That must be what we're searching for. We have to go in. Who knows what Roshia could be doing to Yumi or Odd, not to mention Janika in her condition. It really was foolish of her to remain in danger."

"Well, there's no time to lose. Both of you get in the scanners." He punched in the coordinates as his friends got into the elevator and headed for the scanner-room. "What exactly is that thing anyway?"

(V)

Ulrich and the pink-haired girl raced east across the Desert, striving to reach the Tower and corner the strange unidentified monster. Jeremy had no success getting a lock on the creature's secondary signal that provided stats and other information.

"Just a bit further, you two. It's on the next platform."

They crossed a land bridge and spotted the spire glowing a deep, pulsing crimson in the distance. As they dashed forward Aelita spoke to the computer operator. "The Tower is activated, Jeremy. I don't feel any pulsations, but there's no mistaking it."

He was adamant. "That's impossible, Aelita! The scanners would have picked up an activated Tower. We must be missing _something_. Do you think it's possible that this monster is blocking the signal? I thought even X.A.N.A. was incapable of something like that."

Just then, the two virtualized children topped a rise and saw the robot.

"_What the—?_" Ulrich yelped.

It looked like some sort of colossal Roachster, but the vulnerable eye was missing. The monster was easily three times larger than a Megatank and completely black; the kind of black that reflected no light. Ulrich couldn't help feeling instant hatred for it despite his awe.

"What's wrong?" Jeremy asked over the communicator. "I need to see what's going on. Aelita, can you give me a visual?"

She obliged and suddenly the blonde kid was rendered speechless. He could only stare in shock.

"Now you see why we're just standing here?"

Jeremy sounded stumped. "That thing is the weirdest modification of one of X.A.N.A.'s monsters that I've ever seen."

"It's not like you've seen many," Ulrich reminded him dryly.

"Whatever. I'll see if I can scan it for any possible weakness we can exploit. Just keep it busy or something while I work. If it realizes I'm scanning, it might retaliate. Aelita, if you can get past it and reach the Tower, do that."

"We'll take care of it, Jeremy," Aelita assured him.

They edged closer, using rocks as cover. The creature was so gargantuan and foreign in her home-world that she couldn't keep back a gasp as they drew near. Unfortunately, in addition to being a very disturbing sight, it also had excellent hearing.

It scuttled around, focusing on the pile of rocks where she and Ulrich had ducked. A hum of energy resonated and they flattened just in time to avoid the searing blast of its laser.

"Whoa! The readings from that single shot are off the charts!" Jeremy's voice came over. "If you get a direct hit _once_, it's all over."

The samurai flipped onto the crest of a rock so that he was about even with the black Roachster. As it 'stared' at him, he shouted, "Triplicate!" and then there were three of him. The enemy could only focus on one at a time, but couldn't decide which one.

Aelita watched from the shadow of a boulder, keeping still and silent as possible. She waited until the Roachster had scuttled away, chasing after Ulrich and his two agile clones before slipping out into the open. She made it to the red-rimmed Tower, but as soon as she closed her eyes and tried to walk through the wall, she was thrown back as if struck by a laser!

"Aelita! Are you all right? Your lifepoints just dropped to 80. What happened?"

She groggily sat up, wincing as she moved. "There is a barrier around the Tower. I can't get through!"

"Sometimes I hate my life," he muttered. "Okay, I'll work on that too, but that weird Roachster-thing is completely covered with some sort of invincible armor. Ulrich's attacks are hardly doing any damage at all. Now if I could just—Aelita, it's coming straight at you!"

(V)

Yumi couldn't move. She was being swallowed by the wall! And what about her friends? Were they being crushed to death inside the gym?

Rain mixed with the loose rock, running down and drenching her completely in dark mud. Roshia paced back and forth before her slowly like an interrogator. Yumi didn't know why else the Pawn had engulfed her almost completely inside the wall except for her upper body.

"Are you just going to watch me?" she demanded impatiently.

"So eager for death?" the blonde girl taunted. Yumi shut her mouth. "Where are the others? Tell me that. Only three of you are here, so where are those who were with you before? Where have they gone?"

So she didn't know about the factory. Maybe Yumi could use Roshia's ignorance to her advantage.

Feigning despair, the black-haired girl lowered her head. "They went to find people who could help us."

The Pawn scoffed outright. "To unite petty humans against me? Truly, you are amusing. Now tell me the truth or I will embed a thousand splinters of stone in your face, _one at a time_."

Okay, maybe lying wasn't the best way to go. But she couldn't tell this witch the truth!

Suddenly she felt something much like a bee sting under her chin. Despite the rain, Yumi could feel hot blood run down her throat. She choked back a cry and stared defiantly at her captor.

"Speak, or I will continue doing _this_."

The Japanese girl had to bite her tongue to keep from giving in as more painful shards dug wickedly into her skin. _Ulrich, hurry!_ she screamed wordlessly.

**Yes, I know what you people are thinking: milk does the body good. Unfortunately I don't think this saying has migrated to France, and in turn, Yumi forgot to drink that life-giving sustenance the morning of this story, so now she's paying the penalty.**


	6. Pawns

**6-6: Pawns**

**For some reason everyone here thinks I'm going to get a freaky piercing somewhere on my body ever since I got the tattoo. I may be a rebel, but I am not THAT stupid. Do you people agree? (Don't you dare say yes!)**

(((-6-)))

The two teenagers struggled with the door for a minute before giving up. Janika leaned arduously against the wall and stared at her friend. She gave him a double-take.

"Odd…did you know you look like a girl?"

"Huh?" He felt his hair and realized his mousse had washed out in the rain. It sagged down to his shoulders, dripping water down his shirt. With a growl, the girly-boy tried to fix it. "Stupid gel…should've gotten water-proof…"

As she chuckled beside him, he suddenly turned and wrung the sopping wet hair all over her. Janika protested with a laugh and wrapped her braid around his throat to choke him playfully. The building trembled and they quit fooling around, suddenly clutching each other.

"What's happening?" she breathed in alarm.

He towed her over to the closet and pulled all the equipment out. "Roshia must be attacking us. Stay in here. It'll be safer than out there."

Odd shoved her inside as the stone roots tightened around the gym. The walls groaned and plaster crumbled from the ceiling, but it held.

"Stay put this time," he ordered.

Janika stuck her tongue out at him and he shut the door in her face. As a precaution, he jammed the handles with a broomstick. He noticed a ladder off to one side that could probably reach the higher windows. Odd finally managed to haul it over and climbed up carrying the bulky javelin, but once he looked outside at the writhing masses of shifting rock and stone, he wondered if it was really worth all this effort. And then…

—_Lightning flashed, illuminating the scene before him. Yumi hung limply from her prison of solid rock but Roshia was nowhere to be seen. He ran over to his friend, hoping she had at least survived the witch's torture, but just before he got to her, the ground cracked open beneath his feet! He saw a flash of blonde hair above and stone lances below as he dropped—_

A raw cry from Yumi reached his ears, pulling him out of his reverie. But he froze, unable to shake the feeling that he if he went down there, he would die. Another wail echoed from below.

He had promised Ulrich he would protect her. Odd never broke his promises. _Ever_.

He jumped down onto the bulging rocks that shifted and pressed against the gym like the arms of a squid. The javelin helped him pole-vault to the safer ground below and then he took off toward the wall of stone.

It was little more than twice his height and jagged enough so that reaching the top was a cinch. But once he was up there, Odd realized the walls inside Roshia's blockade were completely smooth. Unless the Pawn-girl willed it to disappear, he would be trapped inside.

Until he fell into the snare, that is.

There she was, just four meters away with her back to him. Yumi was trapped half-in, half-out of the wall while the blonde girl paced back and forth before her. It was hard to see through the rain, but it looked like there was blood running down his friend's face. What was Roshia _doing_ to her?

Gripping the javelin tight in his fist, the blonde-haired boy landed neatly on his feet. But as soon as he touched the ground inside the barrier, the witch's eyes fastened on him.

"Foolish warrior," she smiled. "I think my master greatly overestimated his enemies."

Odd swallowed forcefully and held the javelin out like a weapon. She raised an eyebrow and her hands flew up. In that instant, the constant lightning ceased, temporarily blinding him. When it flashed once more, Roshia was nowhere to be seen.

With a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, the teenage boy stepped toward his friend. Yumi hardly moved when he called her name. Odd started forward, but the familiarity of the scene made him halt. But what else could he possibly do?

Ignoring the warnings screaming through his head, he approached the black-haired girl trapped by the wall. Almost on cue, the ground collapsed underneath him! Odd flailed desperately and—

(V)

Ulrich slashed the Roachster where its symbol should have been. That made as much of a difference as striking the legs and back had. Whatever super-shell protected this weird beast was doing a terrific job. There wasn't even a nick on the coal-black surface.

_Aelita should be running for the Tower by now,_ he thought as one of his clones was wiped out by a fierce blast. The beam was so powerful that the digital covering of the platform it struck beyond his copy didn't reform. There was simply nothing there. This Pawn was so strong that it had deleted part of Lyoko!

Again he dodged, hoping his friend was nearly there. But even as he was thinking that thought, Ulrich noticed the black Roachster shudder as though it had finally felt a blow. He glanced over at the Tower and saw Aelita rubbing her head and staring at the lofty column in confusion.

Before he could understand what had happened, the monster scampered forward like wildfire. Aelita swiveled around and saw it advancing on her rapidly. With a cry of fear, she sprang to her feet and raced around the other side of the Tower, but the creature was right on her tail!

The samurai and his remaining clone dashed in to distract the Roachster and possibly win her some time to get inside, but Ulrich had not expected it to have such quick reflexes. Before he could react, it turned and fired a quick blast, all his lifepoints gone so quickly that it felt as though he was being torn in half.

The scanner opened but he just lay there, trying his best not to throw up.

(V)

Janika rammed her shoulder against the door, but something was holding it closed. Odd _never_ let her do anything!

She hunkered down in the darkness, hoping he and Yumi were all right. She heard the gym groan tiredly as Roshia's stone tentacles wrapped around it, squeezing tightly.

Suddenly there came the sound of crushing plaster and falling stone. The girl gripped her braid tightly since there was nothing else to cling onto. The wall behind the metal closet bulged and thrust inward, shoving her cage. It tipped over onto the floor, the doors on the bottom. Janika fell along with it and cried out in pain as her large bruise struck the sides.

Suddenly afraid, she tried to force the closet back up, but it was too heavy and since she was inside, there wasn't much point in trying. How could Odd have been stupid enough to lock her inside!

**Yeah, he's pretty stupid on that count. It's not like she could have climbed up the ladder after him anyway. Sometimes boys just think w/ the hair on their chests instead of their brains. I don't think Odd has much of either one, which would explain why he did that, but not why Janika likes him.**


	7. Barrier

**6-7: Barrier**

**I was going to make this one 8 chappies long but decided against it at the last second. There just wasn't enough to say.**

(((-7-)))

Odd dangled precariously from his javelin that had been jammed between a pair of rocks. The blonde boy breathed a deep sigh of relief and managed to swing safely over to the edge of the stake-filled pit.

Roshia stood not two meters from him, her arms folded, no longer smiling. Her glowing eyes barely registered any surprise.

"That was unexpected, but I must admit your antics are quite under-whelming."

Odd crouched there, not sure what to do next. He was ready to take off running when a vision flashed through his mind. His eyes refocused on Roshia as she waited for him to make the first move.

Hoping he wasn't going to get himself killed, the teenager rushed at her. The blonde girl rose up from the ground in an instant on a pinnacle of stone, easily out of reach. Odd smiled slightly and dodged left as shards of flint rained down from the pillar. There was only one way he could get to her, and he had to time it just right.

Irritated now, Roshia ordered the ground to unearth deadly spikes and skewer the impudent warrior, but he continued to worm through her traps, seeming to know exactly where to go.

The javelin wedged between a pair of earthen spears and snapped. He tossed one useless half away as he did a handspring to avoid a particularly large spine. As he was about to get run through, the earth stopped moving. It stilled, just as he had foreseen.

But Odd was weak now because he didn't ordinarily do this sort of thing in real life. He wasn't a panther-warrior here and it had taken its toll on him. Still, if everything in the glimpse he had seen turned out to be true, then he only needed to last a bit longer.

He tried to act like there wasn't a mountain of fatigue crushing down on him. While Roshia was busy trying to direct the earth that was nearly out of her control, the blonde boy scrambled up the side of her pillar. She couldn't see him from where she was. Hopefully. He reached the top and gathered his energy so he could do this in one shot.

Strain was evident on her face through the torrents of rain, but she continued to grapple with the earth, forcing it to her will. But where had her victim gone? Then he slammed into her from behind and together they fell.

(V)

Janika wiped the sweat from her face. It was very hot and stuffy inside the box. She knew she was starting to suffocate, but somehow it didn't bother her as much as it should have. Her thoughts kept growing foggy and indistinct. She was very tired. Her eyelids drooped even though she was fighting to keep them open.

"Do coffins feel like this?" she murmured, resting her head on her arms. "…I forgot to do my Chemistry homework…" she breathed slowly, her mind skittering away once more.

(V)

Jeremy was frantic as Aelita played Chase with the monster. The black Roachster wasn't stupid or slow, and the beams it shot continued to decimate the surface of the platform.

The AI program noticed the strength of her enemy and suddenly had an inspiration. Hoping she wasn't making too much of a leap in logic, Aelita abruptly turned and dove behind a rock. The Roachster slowed and its laser hummed as it prepared to fire. She darted out from her shelter and ran for the Tower.

Jeremy screamed at her so loudly she thought he would lose his voice, but it was too late to stop. The monster let off a single round that would have destroyed her permanently, except that she ducked to the ground, feeling the beam brush past her in a wave of searing heat and peril.

It struck the Tower with enough force to destroy a squad of Megatanks, but as the beam connected with the barrier, sparks of blinding blue light erupted. The black creature let out a strange noise like a very human scream and began firing rapidly every which way. Aelita barely avoided getting devirtualized and only survived by swinging up onto the Roachster's head above the laser.

"Aelita, the barrier is completely gone! Get in there before that thing destroys you."

"I will, Jeremy."

She balanced precariously on top of it as the creature stumbled crazily and crashed into the Tower. The pink-haired girl leaped off its back and faded through the wall.

(V)

Odd sat solidly on top of Roshia where she laid face-up in the mud, the broken javelin rammed up against her throat. "Let Yumi go or I'll choke you right here!" he threatened dangerously.

His enemy glared murderously at him, but suddenly clutched her head, wailing in pain. Odd was looking straight at her as Roshia's eyes lost their dark luster. She merely gazed beyond him at the sky as lightning flashed and thunder rolled.

Her mouth opened and she let the rainwater run down into it. "Rain tastes so…wonderful…" she murmured to herself. And then her eyes closed peacefully.

Janika's eyes also closed peacefully as the world slid backward into a reincarnation of the past…

(V)

The dark-haired girl met up with her friends outside. They were all helping Odd pick up trash. When she got there, Jeremy was doing his best to explain what went on with Lyoko and the black Pawn:

"The terminal was fluctuating at such a rate that it was impossible for my remote scanner to detect the auxiliary wavelengths pulsating on any platforms. It probably has something to do with the black Roachster and its unusual composition, enabling it to disguise any oscillations as primary digitized information even on a virtually tangible level, but not visual."

Aelita seemed to be the only one without a puzzled look.

"Could you possibly repeat that in smaller words?" Odd groaned. "I have a headache right now. Anticipation isn't easy on the mind, you know."

The computer nerd rolled his eyes. "I'm still working on what that thing was, but when it was on Lyoko it had the power to hide the activated Tower from my sensors. I wish I had gotten hold of a few lines of its code, but the thing was completely foolproof!"

"Okay," Ulrich started, "so you're telling us that X.A.N.A. has more surprises up his sleeve?"

"I'm afraid so. And until we figure out which Tower he changed in order to do that, we can't shut Lyoko down even if I swept Aelita's program clean." He looked so somber that everyone shuffled their feet nervously.

Janika stretched and gave Odd a friendly hug. "I don't know about you guys, but I think we should be happy we won. Anyone coming with me to go celebrate?"

Five hands went up. The gang headed off toward the nearest restaurant to rejoice over their temporary victory.

**Okay, I have a question for all you readers out there. Do you people want me to keep on going w/ this New Era angle or should I go back to regular X.A.N.A.-attacks? We met Roshia and the black Roachster, and you can guess what'll be coming next. Should I keep it or what? Only tell me and I shall comply. I am a servant of The People (unlike those stupid politicians).**


End file.
